November 13, 1851 Tsunami: San Francisco Bay, N. California, United States
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at San Francisco Bay, N. California, United States on November 13, 1851 at 02:51 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- November 13, 1851, 02:51 UTC
- Source
- San Francisco Bay, N. California, United States
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Unusual water motion felt on a ship in San Francisco Bay. Doubtful account, possibly a seiche.
Date and time reported by Soloviev and Go (1975), other give time and date as November 12, 1851 6:45 or 7:00 pm.
1851, November 13, 19:00 (local time). There was a shock at San Francisco; on board ship, "unusual movement of water" was felt. [It is possible that this was a seaquake] (Reference #415).
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay, CA, CA | United States | Other |
More
Every tsunami in 1851The 1800sTsunamis of United StatesThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 785.